Fire Emblem: Three Houses is full of useful equipment that players can utilize in combat. As much as we love using classics like Killer and Silver weapons, many of the most useful pieces of equipment in the game come in the form of unique Heroes' Relics that are each directly connected to the various crests in the game.
RELATED: 15 Best Fire Emblem Games Of All Time (According To Metacritic)
While there are several Heroes' Relics that players will obtain automatically through progressing through the story, there are others that require much more effort to be obtained.
The lance that is linked to the Crest of Blaiddyd, Areadbhar is among the most useful lances in the game and is among the easiest Heroes' Relics to obtain. As the signature weapon of Dimitri, Areadbhar is only obtainable within the Azure Moon route. After concluding Chapter 15, The Valley of Torment, the player will automatically receive this immensely powerful Lance. With twenty uses, Areadbhar has 19 might and allows Dimitri to use the incredible Attrocity Combat art that can take out nearly every enemy unit in the game in a single hit.
On the complete opposite end of the difficulty spectrum, the Aegis Shield can be among one of the more difficult Heroes' Relics to obtain in Three Houses. The Heroes' Relic associated with the crest of Fraldarius, the Aegis Shield is one of the most useful pieces of defensive equipment in the game and can be obtained in each route. If a player has recruited Felix, they will gain access to the "True Chivalry" paralogue that must be completed in order to obtain this shield. Unlike many other Heroes' Relics that are simply obtained by completing a given paralogue, in order to obtain the Aegis Shield, a player must prevent the death of each villager present in the chapter. While this is not too difficult of a feat on the normal and hard difficulties, in Maddening Mode, it can be a grueling endeavor as villagers and Rodrigue drop like flies. Though easier said than done, a solution to this problem is to end the chapter on the first turn by killing the boss using a flying unit such as a wyvern rider, rallies, the stride Gambit, the Warp spell, and a dancer. Once the chapter is cleared, if all of the villagers have survived, a player will be rewarded with the Aegis Shield!
Another Heroes' Relic that can be obtained in each of Three Houses, Blutgang is a sword that is tied to Marianne's mystery crest. This Heroes' Relic can be obtained if a player successfully clears the Paralogue, "Forgotten Hero" that becomes available during the war phase if the player had recruited Marianne. While there are no additional conditions that must be met to gain this sword, as is the case with the Aegis Shield, "Forgotten Hero" is among the most difficult Paralogues in the game. A fog of war chapter full to the brim with Demonic Beasts, the map splits Marianne, who is traditionally a support unit from the rest of the party. As Marianne is prone to be overwhelmed and killed by these demonic beasts, the safest bet is to have her avoid as much combat as possible in the woods to the north of her starting point, while the rest of one's forces cut a path towards her as quickly as possible. It is recommended that players use gambits liberally on this chapter to stun and slow down the many Demonic Beasts.
The massive hammer, Crusher is tied to the Crest of Dominic and is the ideal weapon to be wielded by Annette. Like many Heroes' relics, this weapon is obtained in a Paralogue that is connected to a specific student; in this case, Annette. However, this Paralogue is only accessible in the Azure Moon route. This is because this paralogue, " Weathervanes of Fódlan," is shared with Gilbert, a unit who is only obtainable in Azure Moon. A somewhat straightforward chapter, Annette and Gilbert start the chapter separated from the rest of one's forces similarly to how Marianne is deployed in her respective paralogue. One should prioritize hurrying to Annette and Gilbert's location and ensuring their safety before defeating the boss. Once the chapter is complete, players will gain access to this unique and potent axe (well, hammer) that deals damage through magic rather than strength!
Failnaught is the Heroes' Relic that is tied to the Crest of Reigan and is the personal weapon of Claude, the lord of the Verdant Wind Route. While this excellent bow is automatically received in Chapter 13 of the Verdant Wind route, unlike Areadbhar that can only be obtained in its lord's respective route, Failnaught can also be obtained in the Azure Moon route! While it isn't available until the tail-end of the game, once a player finished Chapter 19 of Azure Moon, they will automatically obtain Failnaught. While this bow's signature combat art, Fallen Star can only be used when the bow is wielded by Claude it is a stellar bow with 18 might and 2-3 range.
Freikugel is an axe whose incredible damage output is only offset by its low accuracy. As the Heroes' Relic connected to Hilda's Crest of Goneril, it can be obtained in each route save for Crimson Flower, as Hilda cannot be recruited in that route. In order to obtain Freikugel, all a player must do is complete the "Dividing the World" Paralogue during the academy phase. While the player will gain additional rewards such as a Hexlock Shield if all of the allied soldiers survive, the player will obtain Freikugel as long as they complete the chapter!
The Lance of Ruin is the second Heroes' Relic that players come across in Three Houses, wielded by Sylvain's brother Miklan in Chapter 5. The Heroes' Relic tied to the crest of Gautier, if a player has recruited Sylvain and refuses to give this lance to Rhea at the end of Chapter 5, it will immediately be given to Sylvain, making it among the easiest relics to obtain. If a player did not have Sylvain recruited at this time or they had haded the lance over to Rhea, it can still be obtained by completing Sylvain's Paralogue, "The Forgotten." When equipped to Sylvain, this Lance opens up the option of the Ruined Sky combat art that allows Sylvain to erase practically any enemy from the map with ease very early into a playthrough.
Another impressive lance, Lúin is a Heroes' Relic that can be obtained relatively early into one's playthrough of Three Houses and is available in each route, only requiring that a player has recruited Ingrid. A player receives this lance after completing Ingrid and Dorthea's Paralogue, "Rumored Nuptials."
RELATED: 10 Biggest Challenges For Newcomers In Fire Emblem: Three Houses
As this paralogue can be made available as early as after a player completes Chapter 6, this is often one of the earliest relics a player gains access to after the Lance of Ruin and the Sword of the Creator. Alongside a respectable 17 might, the Lúin allows Ingrid to use the Burning Quake combat art that can allow her to deal high amounts of damage more consistently.
Like the Aegis shield, the Rafail Gem is distinct in the fact that it provides more support based bonuses rather than serving as an offensive weapon. While this gem prevents foes from landing critical hits and bonus damage against the equipped unit, if that unit happens to be Mercedes, she gains the benefits of Pavise and Aegis. In order to obtain this stellar gem, a player must complete the paralogue, "The Face Beneath" during the war phase. In order to access this Paralogue, a player must have both Mercedes and Caspar recruited into their armies. As this paralogue is not available in the Crimson Flower route, it is unfortunately not available within said route.
As the signature weapon of the player's avatar character, Byleth, the Sword of the Creator is without question the easiest Heroes Relic to obtain. This is because it is automatically obtained during the Academy phase regardless of which route a player is experiencing. Once a player completes Chapter 4, they will recieve the Sword of the Creator, a solid sword that provides Byleth with consistent access to 1-2 range, and the ability to easily take down enemies with the Ruptured Heaven combat art.
Thunderbrand is an absolutely incredible sword that functions as an improved variation of a Brave Sword, and it is among the strongest weapons available in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Like all of the Heroes' Relics, Thunderbrand is associated with a character who totes a crest. This relic in particular is wielded by Catherine, as it is tied to the crest of Charon. However, while the vast majority of relics must be obtained by completing a Paralogue that is connected to the character at hand, as soon as a player recruits Catherine, she joins a player's forces with her Heroes' Relic already in her inventory! Unfortunately, due to the fact that Catherine can't be recruited in the Crimson Flower route, this sword is not obtainable in that route. However, players going through any other route are in luck as Catherine can be recruited by a player as early as Chapter 4 as long as Byleth is a high enough level. While the default level requirement needed to recruit Catherine is 15, this can be lowered based on Byleth's support level with Catherine. If a player were to actively give gifts to Catherine early in the game to raise her support level, Catherine and her phenomenal weapon become available even earlier!
Thyrsus is by and large the most useful Heroes' Relic in all of Three Houses, so it's in a player's best interest to obtain it as quickly as possible. While this staff is connected to the Crest of Gloucester and by extension Lorenz, it is one of the few relics that players are incentivized to equip to a unit without a crest. As long as a unit is equipped with this staff, the range of all of their spells increases by two, allowing the most deadly mages in the game to cover up their low defense by simply attacking safely from far away. While this item deals 10 damage to a unit each turn if they don't possess a crest, many of the best magic users in the game such as Lysithea and Annette each possess crests, making this drawback a non-factor. In order to procure this incredible item, all players need to do is complete the Paralogue, "The Land of the Golden Deer." This paralogue is available in each route after the player completes Chapter 6 as long as they've recruited Lorenz. To sweeten the deal even further, this Paralogue is among the easiest in the game, allowing players to obtain Thyrsus with ease!